Sirius' Stupid Idea
by bookwyrms
Summary: Sirius overhears Lily confessing that she's developed feelings for James, and so he comes up with a crazy, and rather idiotic, plan to get the two of them together.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Part 1 of a short story that will likely be 2 or 3 chapters when I'm done. **

**Disclaimer: While I do happen to own a copy of all the Harry Potter books, I do not actually own the books. Or the characters, though I would gladly take James any day :) He, along with the rest of them, belong to the lovely J.K. Rowling. **

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><p>Lily Evans sighed for the fifth time in the last half hour, staring blankly at the parchment in front of her. It was supposed to be her Transfiguration essay, but she had yet to write more than a few words. She flipped idly through the textbook in front of her, but soon sighed again. She couldn't even concentrate well enough to write a full sentence. She was in the library, for goodness' sake! It's not like there was a host of distractions, other than the occasional rustling of pages and the scratching of a quill. For the first time in her life, Lily felt genuinely stupid. She couldn't even properly string together a good sentence!<p>

James Potter ruined everything.

Remus, Lily's study partner, hadn't failed to notice Lily's irritation and, after this sixth sigh, he raised his head from his essay. Lily noticed resentfully that it was nearly finished. "Lily…? Are you okay? If you don't want to work right now, you don't have to stay. I'll finish mine tonight, and then you can work on yours tomorrow and help me revise mine."

"No, it's not that. Besides, I need to get this done. I still have a Potions essay to do, and I really need to practice for Transfiguration. My turtle somehow had rabbit ears by the time I was finished with it, and it looked nothing like the jumper it was supposed to be. And James had turned his owl into a whole bloody outfit. Why are we supposed to turn animals into clothing anyway? It's ridiculous. Why would anyone want to wear a turtle?" Remus tried not to laugh at the irritated look on Lily's face.

"So you do want to keep working on the essay?"

"Yes. I'm just… having a hard time concentrating."

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," Lily said, blushing and letting her hair fall forward to hide her face. There was _no way _she would admit to being distracted by a boy. Especially when that boy happened to be James Potter. She twiddled idly with her quill, refusing to meet Remus' eyes.

"C'mon, Lily. You know you can trust me, right? It always helps me to talk about it whenever something's bothering me."

"You promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Not a soul."

"Not even your best mates?"

"Of course. I might tell them all of _my _secrets, but I can keep a secret that isn't mine to give away." He smiled sweetly.

"I think I'm… fallinginlovewithJames." The words came out in a rush and Remus had to strain to distinguish them. When he did, he wasn't sure he had heard her right. Sure, he'd noticed that Lily looked at James more frequently than she used to, and they certainly spent plenty of time together now, but he'd attributed it to their blooming friendship. A few times he had wondered if Lily might be developing feelings for James, but in love with him? It wasn't even Christmas yet, and before the start of the school year, they had barely been able to have a civil conversation with each other. That was faster than even Remus was expecting.

"You're… falling in love with him?" For a second, Remus worried that he _had _heard wrong, and was certain that Lily would rip his throat out for even suggesting such a thing. Instead, she nodded and buried her head in her arms.

"I don't know what to do," she said, voice muffled by layers of hair and arm. "I finally fall for him just as he stops liking me."

"How do you know he doesn't like you?" Remus scrunched his eyebrows. He was sure that James was far from over Lily. While he no longer talked about it like he used to and had ceased asking her out, Remus could still see the way he looked at her. James had only given up his slightly more annoying wooing habits in pursuit of their friendship. Besides, James had been hopelessly in love with Lily for years. Remus could still hear James' frantic questions and worrying. "What if she never likes me back, Moony?" James had asked a million times in past years. "What if we graduate and I never see her again and she goes off and marries some stupid bloke who isn't me? What will I do then?" Remus nearly laughed at the drastic change in scenarios. In under a year he'd gone from dealing with a lonely and lovesick James to a lonely and lovesick Lily. He'd never thought he'd see the day.

Lily raised her head to answer. "He hasn't asked me out all year, which is really saying something for him. Besides, I've been hinting pretty heavily that I like him all week, and he hasn't reacted at all!"

"Well, James was never one for subtlety. But I wouldn't be so sure that he's given up on you."

"Why?"

"He's not the type to give up and move on. In case you hadn't noticed, he is a rather determined bloke," Remus said. Lily chuckled, but swiftly became somber again.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," she said, frowning. "Besides, even if he did like me, it wouldn't change anything at the moment. He's completely oblivious to my hints and I _can't _tell him. It could completely ruin our friendship, and not seeing James at all would be a million times worse than being his friend and constantly wishing for more."

"I still think you should just tell him, Lily." Remus wished he could reassure her of James' feelings, but James had made each of the Marauders promise at the beginning of the year that they would all act as if he and Lily were nothing more than friends. He didn't want to risk their then-precarious friendship. Remus shook his head as he realized that their friendship – the thing that he knew had, ultimately, brought them together – was the only thing now standing in their way.

Granted, Remus was fairly certain that if James had foreseen the situation where Lily was the one longing to know that he still loved her, he might have added a few qualifications to his request.

But nonetheless, a promise was a promise, and Remus refused to go back on his word. Plus, though he was certain James hadn't moved on, he hadn't heard him express his feelings in months. Remus was not one to take risks, and it would create a horrid mess if he told Lily he knew for fact that James loved her, and then turned out to be wrong. He would just have to figure out some way to convince James to give it another go with Lily without breaking either of his promises.

"I can't tell him!" Lily said. "And promise me you won't, either."

"I promised I'd keep your secret. Of course I won't tell him - or anyone."

"Thank you," Lily sighed, turning back to her essay. "Now that _that's _off my chest, maybe I can finally concentrate." Remus' eyes lingered on her flushed face for a moment, grinning amusedly. He had never expected that Lily, of all people, would confess to him that she was in love with James.

Lily flipped through the pages of the textbook in front of her. One of the illustrations showed a man transfigured to have bright turquoise hair, a slightly flattened pug-like nose, and bright orange eyebrows. It reminded her of a prank the Marauders had pulled on the Slytherins at the end of sixth year, giving each of them crimson hair and golden eyebrows. The lot of them would've blended in nicely with the Gryffindor common room. Lily could still hear James' laugh in her mind, still see his hazel eyes twinkling… No! Bad Lily! She sighed again, banging her head on the desk. She was not going to be able to concentrate any time soon.

Behind a bookshelf a few feet away, Sirius Black was still frozen, his hand outstretched toward a book and a large grin on his face. Lily liked Prongs.

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><p><strong>Dun dun dun! Here ends chapter 1. Reviews make me a very happy camper! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own it. **

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><p>Sirius couldn't stop grinning at dinner that night, continually glancing between James and Lily. As the meal progressed, however, his grin faded into a look of frustration. They weren't <em>doing<em> anything. They chatted amiably and, Sirius noticed, Lily glanced at James much more often than strictly necessary. But now that he knew that Lily fancied his best mate, Sirius wanted Lily to stand up and publically profess her love for him in front of the entire school. Unfortunately, Sirius knew from the conversation he'd overheard that this was far from likely. Lily wouldn't admit that she liked James as long as she was uncertain of his feelings. And James had sworn to give up asking her out and flirting obnoxiously.

Sirius stared intently at the meat pie in front of him, his eyes somewhat glazed as he schemed. He would have to find some way to force James to reveal his feelings without telling him about Lily's. Sirius wasn't cruel enough to betray a secret that he wasn't actually supposed to know, and he wasn't entirely sure that James would even believe him if he told him. He would have to make James desperate enough that he wouldn't be able to hold in his emotions. So, Sirius was really left with only one option. They'd forced him to it, with all their moping and lovesick gazes. Sirius had to do it. They would thank him, later.

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><p>After dinner that night, Lily sat in the Gryffindor common room, open textbooks and parchment in front of her. James was at Quidditch practice and the room was loud enough to keep her from her daydreams. Of course, this also meant that it was loud enough to make concentrating hard, but she would gladly take this form of distraction over thoughts of a certain messy-haired chaser.<p>

She'd managed to pen a few good sentences before someone plopped down on the seat beside her, jostling her elbow and causing her quill to quiver on the page. A dark ink blot appeared and Lily scowled at the paper, clearing the blot with a quick wave of her wand before turning to scowl at the newcomer.

"So, Lily," Sirius said grinning.

"What do you want, Black," Lily said, sounding tired but struggling to hide a small grin. "I'm _trying _to do my homework here."

"Well, you see, I was in the library today getting a book for that Charms assignment."

"You do your homework?" Lily interrupted. "I'm surprised you know where the library even is, Black." Her eyes sparkled teasingly, and her pronunciation of his surname was much gentler than it had been before she got to know James and his group of friends.

"Believe it or not Evans, yes I do. I can't be an Auror if I get a T in _all _my classes. And there's no way I would get a teacher's recommendation if I fail to turn in every assignment."

"Wow. Sirius Black has ambitions." Lily grinned, bumping Sirius' shoulder with her own.

"Don't tell anyone. I wouldn't want it to get around."

"I don't know, Black. This might be too good of a secret to keep."

"Oh, you'll keep it alright. Because, lovely Lily, you have a little secret of your own that I'm sure you wouldn't want to spread 'round."

Lily paled, immediately remembering Sirius' remarks about being in the library, the location of her conversation with Remus. She prayed that he was thinking about something else; that maybe he'd just seen her eating that bar of chocolate in the library and thought that she would be horrified if people found out she'd broken the rules. "I don't know what you're talking about." Her eyes shifted uneasily from the couch cushion sitting a few feet away, to the crackling fire, to the far corner where a group of second year girls was giggling. Anywhere but Sirius.

"Something about you… and a certain James Potter… and how you cry yourself to sleep every night because he doesn't ask you out anymore. Ring any bells?"

"I never said I cry myself to sleep at night!"

"Well do you?"

"No! Of course not. That would be ridiculous."

"All right. But may I point out that you've failed to deny the rest of my accusation?"

Lily blushed and opened her mouth, but Sirius interrupted before she could say anything. "And don't even _try _to say that I'm making this all up, because you and I both know I'm not."

Lily sighed in defeat before looking up, boldly meeting Sirius' eyes. "Fine. I like James. So what?"

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"What am I… going to… do? I'm not planning on doing anything."

"Well then, you're lucky that I am. You can't just act like nothing's different now. You and James both like each other, you're just too bloody stubborn to tell one another. I mean, come on, where's your Gryffindor bravery?"

"I'm not scared, exactly. It's just… James doesn't like me. If he did, he would've asked me out by now. Telling him that I fancy him would just make everything awkward. Besides, I heard him talking to Remus about some girl in Ravenclaw last week, and how he thought she was pretty and was thinking about asking her to Hogsmeade next time a trip comes up. I wouldn't want to get in the way of that, if he likes some other girl…" Lily played with the edge of her parchment, her eyes downcast.

"He only stopped asking you out because he figured he'd rather be your friend than nothing at all. And well, the girl… I don't know. He's probably just trying to get over you or something. Trust me Lily, James Potter would not be James Potter if he didn't like Lily Evans. It just can't be done."

"I want to believe you, but I can't risk it. James is one of my best mates, and I won't lose his friendship by telling him I fancy him. I can't."

"What if I told you I had a way to get James to admit that he still has feelings for you without you having to tell him first?" Lily's eyes brightened, but a second later, a cautious look diffused over her face.

"Well, first I would ask if it involves any type of explosives or illegal activities."

"Lily. Have a little faith in me."

"All right, fine. What are you thinking?"

"You know how when people get agitated or angry, they tend to blurt out what they really think?"

"I suppose…" Lily said.

"And you know how jealousy is a guaranteed way to make someone agitated?"

"What are you sugge…. No. No! Absolutely not."

Sirius grinned. "Yes, Lily darling."

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><p><strong>So... what do you think? Reviews would be lovely! Even if you just take the time to type a quick "Love it" or "Hate it" or even "Meh". <strong>I'm thinking this might turn into more of a 4 or 5 chapter fic. These first 2 chapters have kind of been setting up the scene for the<em> real<em> action that's coming up soon. The next chapter should get rather interesting... :) Thanks for reading!****


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: And now the drama begins... :)**

**Disclaimer: I did not suddenly become a billionaire and buy the rights to the Harry Potter series, so I still do not own this.**

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><p>"No way, Black. That is not happening."<p>

"Oh, c'mon. You have to admit it's a brilliant idea!"

"No it's not. It's completely stupid."

"Okay, it may be slightly stupid, but it just might work. You've got nothing to lose; you'll find out how he feels without having to come clean yourself."

Lily shook her head adamantly.

"_Lily_!" Sirius said, his eyes big and pleading. When she shook her head again, he continued, "So what are you going to do, then? Sit around for the next few months and hope that he'll ask you out again? Watch him go out with that Ravenclaw girl? Wouldn't you just love to watch him snog her at breakfast every morning, while she pressed her body up against him and -"

"All right, all right, I get it!" Lily's hands had gone cold and her stomach clenched uncomfortably. The mental picture alone was enough to make her miserable…She wavered for a moment. It was an incredibly stupid idea, and she was not the kind of girl to snog a random bloke she didn't have feelings for, but what else could she do?

She took a deep breath before saying, "Fine. I'll do it."

"Yes!" Sirius said loudly, drawing the attention of several Gryffindors throughout the common room.

"Shh," Lily hissed. "You seem awfully happy, Black. Are you sure you're not doing this for yourself?" She raised her eyebrow at him, her eyes narrowing.

"No offense Evans, but you're not really my type. Besides, you think I could betray James like that? Even if he didn't like you anymore, I would never go after you. Mates don't do that. It's against the code. I assure you, I'm doing this for James and his ultimate happiness, and for that reason alone."

"Alright, I believe you. But believe me, if you try anything, you'll be joining the ranks of the Hogwarts ghosts, and you'll have more gory injuries to show off to the new students every year than Nearly Headless Nick."

Sirius gulped and nodded. "I won't do anything more than I deem necessary for the act. Marauder's honor. Now c'mon. It's getting late. James and Remus have already been patrolling for half an hour, so we better get a move on."

"We're doing it tonight?"

"Might as well. There's no time like the present, after all. Unless, of course, you want to back out?"

Lily squared her shoulders, flipped her hair back, and stood up. "You coming, Black?" Sirius grinned.

"Follow me, Evans."

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><p>"No. Absolutely not. There is no way in bloody hell that I'm getting into a broom cupboard with you, Black," Lily said, staring at the door he was holding open and the small, dark space inside. "You failed to specify that little detail of the plan. Do you have any idea how cliché it is to snog in a broom cupboard?"<p>

Sirius shrugged. "I figured it was the best way to make sure James would find us without making it too obvious or risking being found by someone besides James."

"No. There has to be some other way. I'd feel like a total tramp. Broom cupboards aren't exactly known for being the venue of innocent snogging. I don't want James to think I was up to anything more… inappropriate with you. And do you have any idea how scandalous it would be if the Head Girl was found in a broom cupboard after curfew? What if someone other than James did find us? I'm supposed to set a good example!"

"Well then, what do you suggest Miss Evans? Do you have a better idea?"

"Errr… not exactly. I don't have tons of experience with the pros and cons of various snogging locales, Black."

Sirius sniggered. "Well, the common room would be much too public. I don't think an abandoned classroom is any purer than a broom cupboard, and there'd be more chance that James wouldn't find us. And we'd look like bloody idiots if we just stood in the corridor."

"What about the dorms?"

Sirius quirked an eyebrow. "You want to snog in my bedroom, Evans?"

Lily blushed, nervously tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Well, if anyone asks we can say that I'm helping you with homework and the common room was too loud. Plus, that way we won't be stuck in a confined place with each other for an hour while we wait."

"Alright, you have a point there... I guess it's not a bad idea. What time do patrols end?"

"Midnight."

"So we have two hours. Meet me in my dorm at 11:30. That way we have a bit of a buffer in case they come back early." Lily nodded, and then turned on her heel and started back to the Gryffindor common room. Her stomach churned unpleasantly. What had she gotten herself into?

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><p>Lily, half-hoping that James would come back early and she wouldn't have to go through with the ridiculous plan, stalled in the common room for as long as possible. When she felt like she couldn't wait any longer without Sirius thinking she had chickened out, Lily slowly dragged her feet up the stairs to the boys' dorms. Her school bag was slung over her shoulder: a prop to show that she was going to study. Nobody in the common room questioned her when she went up the boys' stairs; she was Lily Evans, Head Girl, and would never do anything she shouldn't up there.<p>

Lily had never been to the boys' dormitories before. At the very top, Lily found a closed door with a shiny brass plaque said "Seventh Year". Lily took a deep breath before knocking primly. "Come in," a voice called from inside.

Lily slowly opened the door, afraid of what she might see. It was the dwelling place of teenage boys, after all, and everyone knew that boys were notoriously filthy. What if she couldn't even find a way to walk across the floor? What would she do if they had rotting food in there? Or, heaven forbid, what if James had left a pair of knickers out? There could be things in this room that Lily did not want to see.

So, she was relatively surprised when she walked into a room that was almost as clean as her own. A few things were strewn about the place, but nothing embarrassing and not enough for it to look like a war zone. It didn't smell bad, either. A little bit musky, but not in an overwhelming or disgusting way. Actually, it was rather pleasant. The smell reminded her of James.

One of the four beds was neatly made, the covers pulled tight and folded down at the top, just how Lily herself preferred her bedding, and the pillows were plumped to perfection. Lily was certain that this bed must belong to Remus. James and Sirius couldn't be that neat to save their lives, and Peter didn't strike her as a particularly organized person either. Two of the other beds were made, though still rather rumpled and messy. The last bed looked as if someone had recently set off a bomb on top of it, leaving blankets wrinkled and scattered, twisting around the mattress. This, of course, was Sirius' bed, and he was stretched out across the top of it, a piece of parchment unfolded next to him. He was lazily flicking his wand at his bed curtains, making them change colors.

"Oh, there you are, Evans," Sirius said, not moving from his bed. "I was afraid I was going to have to get up and find you. You're late. Remus and James are already on their way back."

"How do you know that?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes at Sirius as he turned his curtain turquoise, not even looking at her.

"That, my dear, is a secret." Sirius smirked when Lily pouted. She hated not knowing things. "Now, come, sit. We have a couple minutes 'til they're here, but you might as well get comfy – and don't worry about Pete barging in. I set him up with a slightly desperate Hufflepuff fifth year to get him out of our hair." Sirius smirked.

"You think I'm going to 'get comfy'? I'm in the boys' dorms, alone with Sirius Black, who I'll soon be snogging in order to make his best mate jealous in the hopes that he'll reveal whether or not he fancies me. How on earth do you expect me to relax right now?"

"Stop being such a worrier. It'll be fine. I don't know why you're freaking out. It's not like you've never snogged a boy before." Lily paled, glancing away awkwardly. "Err…. You've never snogged a boy before, have you?"

Instantly, blood flooded Lily's pale face, coloring her cheeks as red as her hair. "Well, no. Not exactly."

"Seriously? But how? You've had boyfriends before. I know you have; James wouldn't quit whining about how you'd go out with them, but not him. And you never kissed one of them?"

"No. It just… never felt right with any of them. Amos tried to, once, but I stopped him. Now I wish I hadn't. My first kiss is going to be a fake." Lily groaned, plopping down on the bed next to Sirius'.

"Wow. The famous Lily Evans has never snogged a boy." Sirius smirked. Lily sighed, letting herself fall back to sprawl across the bed. She buried her face in her hands, trying to pretend that she was anywhere else, doing anything but having this conversation with Sirius.

"Don't worry, my dear Lily. We'll change that in just a moment." Lily groaned again, and Sirius laughed. He glanced down at the parchment beside him, making sure Lily was still hiding behind her hands before carefully folding it and slipping it onto the table by his bed. "Speaking of, you better get over here. They're about to come through the portrait hole." Lily bolted upright, suddenly looking green.

"I can't do this, Sirius. I just can't. What if James is mad? What if he doesn't care? What if he -"

"Lily? Shut up. You agreed to the plan; now you have to go through with it. It'll be fine, don't worry. I know James, and I know what I'm doing."

Lily still didn't move, her eyes locked on Sirius as her chest heaved, her breath coming short and fast in fear. "I'm not going to eat you," Sirius promised jokingly. "But seriously, they'll be coming through the door any moment. Just think about the Ravenclaw girl!"

Though Lily was still green, a fire suddenly entered her eyes as her jaw tightened. She launched herself off the bed she'd been sitting on and flew over to Sirius. For a second, he thought she was going to attack him, but next thing he knew, her lips were pressed against his.

Sirius sat, frozen in shock at the sudden assault. His eyes remained open, gaping at the girl right in front of him. Her eyes were closed, and for the first time Sirius noticed that her eyelashes were light red, almost blonde. Lily's lips were soft but insistent as they moved against his. One of her hands had woven itself into his wavy hair, the other was resting on his shoulder. For a moment, Sirius almost forgot who he was snogging; who would have thought that the studious, inexperienced, goody-two-shoes Evans could kiss like this?

Sirius managed to snap himself out of his stupor and began to kiss her back, his hand tangling in her long hair as he pulled her even closer with a hand on her waist. His tongue had just brushed against her bottom lip when he heard the door open. He kissed her for a second longer, making sure that the new entrants would have time to see what was going on, before abruptly pulling away. He quickly turned to look at the door, feigning shock at the interruption.

James was standing in the doorway, his mouth hanging open. Remus, a few feet behind him, was staring at Sirius and Lily with wide eyes.

"Err… hello," Sirius said, doing his best to sound embarrassed. "You're back from patrol early, aren't you?"

"No," Remus said. James' eyes flicked repeatedly between Sirius and Lily, who was still sitting next to him. Sirius realized that his hand was still on her waist and he pulled it away. The movement seemed to wake James from his shocked reverie.

"What the bloody hell were you just doing?" he asked. James' words didn't come out in the angry shout that Sirius expected; rather, they were quiet. Flat. Dead. Sirius blanched. He'd never heard James' voice sound like that.

"Well," Sirius said, "I was snogging."

"You were snogging Lily?" Remus said.

"No, I was snogging my bedpost," Sirius said sarcastically. "Of course I was snogging Evans!"

James just stared at them in shock. Then, he turned on his heel and marched down the stairs. Lily glanced at Sirius, her eyes wide in panic. That wasn't supposed to happen, was it? He was supposed to say something, get angry, accuse Sirius of stealing his girl. Anything.

Sirius shrugged, but his eyes revealed his worry. He hadn't expected James to react like that. Lily shot off the bed, past a still-gaping Remus, and down the stairs. "James! James, wait!"

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><p><strong>Ooh cliffhanger :) We're nearly to the end, folks.<strong>

**Please, please review! I love getting feedback.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'd like to send a nice, big thank you to everyone who reviewed! Also, I edited the first 3 chapters: nothing major. You might not even notice the changes, so you don't need to go back and reread them if you don't want to. I just tidied up a few things - tied off some loose ends and clarified things I thought were confusing or contradictory. Here's chapter 4; I'm thinking I'll finish it off in one more chapter. Maybe two. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

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><p>"Well, that wasn't quite how I imagined it going over," Sirius said lightly, still seated on his bed. Remus, who had been gawking down the stairs after Lily, flipped around at Sirius' words.<p>

"What exactly _did _you expect when James found out his best mate was snogging the girl he's been practically in love with since first year?" Remus looked livid, his normally kind face flushed red. Sirius had never seen him look so angry, not even when Sirius' prank on Snape had nearly turned Remus into a murderer. Then, he had just looked terribly sad and James had been the furious one. "What on earth were you thinking, Sirius? You may have just single-handedly destroyed the Marauders."

Sirius was frozen, staring at Remus. The words stung, even though Sirius knew that he didn't fully understand the situation. When Sirius failed to respond, his mouth simply opening and closing silently, Remus huffed and walked over to his bed. He flopped down before pulling the curtains around, blocking Sirius from view.

"Moony?" Sirius said softly. There was a soft grunt from behind the curtain. "I promise I didn't betray James. I was trying to help."

"How the bloody hell does snogging Lily _help _him?" the still angry voice said. "I think she was just starting to fancy him back! Speaking of," a suspicious edge crept into his voice, "what did you do to Lily? The Lily Evans I know would never snog _you._ She's practically hated your guts since she first laid eyes on you, if Lily is even capable of hate. She wouldn't snog you willingly. Oh, no… You didn't use the Imperius, did you?" Remus' head peaked out from behind the curtain, looking at Sirius with wide, anxious eyes.

"Of course not ! I didn't do anything to her. I… well, I overheard her talking to you in the library today." The curtains were pulled back with a sharp snap, revealing the rest of Remus.

"You eavesdropped on us?"

"I wasn't eavesdropping! I had to get a book. How can I help it that you guys were talking fairly loudly at a table behind the bookshelf I was standing by?"

Remus scoffed. "And of course you had to stay and listen to the entire conversation once you had your book. Whatever. So you know that Lily's in love with James. And so you decide to snog her, knowing that it will likely ruin everything? Brilliant idea, Sirius."

"No, it was! Don't you see? Lily said she wouldn't tell James she fancied him, and you know he took that 'oath of platonic friendship' thingy at the start of the year, and he wouldn't give it up easily. I had to do _something. _We were just trying to make him jealous so he'd slip up and admit that he's still in love with her. We just… didn't expect him to be quite that upset."

Remus buried his head in his pillow and moaned. "Padfoot, you idiot." His words were muffled, but Sirius broke out in a grin at the use of his nickname. He'd been forgiven, by Remus at least. "Can you not go one day without meddling in someone else's business?"

Sirius, still grinning and not deigning to respond, stood up and dug around in his trunk for a minute, then stashed his loot in his schoolbag. "Where are you going?" Remus asked, sitting up.

"To meddle a little more." Sirius flashed a cocky grin at Remus before turning and walking down the stairs, escaping before Remus could object.

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><p>The corridor outside the Fat Lady's portrait was empty. Sirius looked it up and down for any sign of either James or Lily, but they had both vanished. He pulled the piece of parchment Lily had seen earlier from his bag, dug his wand out of his pocket, and tapped it, muttering a few words. He studied it for a few minutes, tapped it again, and shoved it back in his bag before walking off.<p>

When Sirius reached the fifth floor corridor, he saw Lily at the far end, as he'd known she would be by the time he got there. She was walking, her back facing him. She paused and Sirius heard a door click open. She stuck her head into what Sirius assumed was an abandoned classroom. A second later, she pulled her head out, closed the door, and resumed walking.

"Evans!" Sirius called, his voice echoing creepily around the dark and empty corridor.

She jumped at his loud voice, and turned around as her hand flew to her wand. When she saw who it was, she relaxed and took a few steps back toward him, nervously tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Hi."

Sirius choked back a laugh. After everything that had just happened, she said "Hi"? "Hey there," he said, feigning a casual attitude.

She sighed, interlocking her fingers and staring at her hands before diving in. "James hates me now. I know it. I've never seen him look at me like that before." Her face was unusually pale, glowing from the moonlight streaming through the windows.

"Relax, Evans. He was just jealous. We'll get this whole thing sorted; don't worry." His voice wavered a little, betraying his confident words. A part of Sirius wondered if his plan had maybe gone too far, after all. He, too, had never seen James wear an expression like that which covered his face before he left the dormitory. He'd seen a jealous James many a time back when Lily spent all her time with Snivellus. He'd even seen an enraged James after that stupid stunt with Snape and the Willow. Anger, Sirius could deal with. But the memory of the cold, dead look on his best friend's face made Sirius' gut clench with guilt and unease.

"What if he won't forgive me?" Lily asked quietly.

"He will. James couldn't stay mad at you if he tried. He loves you. Why else would he have left like that? What more proof do you need?"

"I don't know… What if he was just surprised? Or maybe he was mad at you and not me. I know I'd be mad if I caught Marlene kissing Amos Diggory behind my back, even though I broke up with him a year ago and think he's an utter prat now."

"Yes, James would probably tear my head off if he saw me right now. But I know James, and he doesn't run away from just anything. It takes a lot to make him that upset, and being angry at me for snogging his ex-crush wouldn't do it. If you still don't believe me, go talk to him yourself."

"What do you think I'm trying to do? I'm not just wandering around the castle in the middle of the night because I fancied a stroll. I can't find him anywhere!"

"I know how to find him. But you have to swear you won't tell a soul. Or confiscate it," Sirius said, looking slightly nauseated at the idea.

"That depends," she said, her eyes narrowing. "What is it?"

"Nothing dangerous, I swear. Here, look." Sirius pulled the parchment out of his bag. He hesitated a moment before starting to open it. Lily eyed the paper suspiciously, though she looked considerably calmer now that she knew it was only a piece of parchment and not some kind of explosive turnip or baby dragon. With Sirius, you never knew. "You promise to keep this a secret?" he asked.

Lily sighed. "I promise."

"Well then, I would like to introduce you to the Marauders' Map," he said grandly, flourishing the parchment and shoving his prior hesitance to the back of his mind. His friends were already mad at him; telling Lily about their secret couldn't make things much worse, assuming she wouldn't tattle.

"The what?" she said. Sirius smirked at the confusion in her voice.

"Marauders Map," he reiterated with a cocky grin. "James, Remus, Peter, and I invented it."

"And what exactly does it do? It's nothing but a piece of parchment."

"That is what you think, my dear Lily. But you are forgetting a certain something called magic." He flipped his long hair out of his eyes and pulled out his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said, tapping the parchment for the fifth time that night.

"And of course _that's _your password," Lily said, her grudging tone slightly marred by a hint of curiosity as she hurried over to Sirius' side. She peered over his shoulder at the map, squinting to see by the light of the moon.

"Is that… is that Hogwarts?"

"Indeed. But that is not all, young Lily. Get a better look." She inched even closer to Sirius, until her arm was brushing against his. A small thought in the back of Lily's mind whispered that only a day ago, Lily would have been immensely uncomfortable at standing in such close proximity to Sirius Black. _A snog-fest on a boy's bed does tend to bring down the barriers between people_, Lily thought, stifling a snort.

She stared at the map. It was covered with words: that much she could see. She struggled to make out exactly what was written, and it wasn't until she saw the familiar lines of her own name that she understood. "That… that can't be."

"Oh, but it is."

"You created a map that shows everyone at Hogwarts?" she said, her voice painted slightly hysteric in shock.

"Don't sound so surprised, Evans. You already know that James, Remus, and I aren't exactly dim. It took a while to figure out, but we knew that it would be more than worth it. It's how we manage to avoid getting caught doing the majority of our pranks – all we have to do is look at the map, and we have advanced warning when anyone's coming along. It's also rather helpful when it comes to finding people who don't want to be found. I don't know why James even bothered; he knows that I had the map today. As if I'd let him hide for long."

"We can use this map to find James?"

"Keep up, Evans," Sirius said, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Of course we can. I believe that I just made that abundantly clear. And I thought you were one of the brightest witches in the school."

"I'm still a little… rattled, I guess. It's not every day that you confess your feelings for the person you've professed to hate for years, snog his best friend, and watch him storm off when he sees you snogging said best friend."

"Thank goodness. I don't think I could deal with this much drama every day." Lily stared at him in shock.

"Sirius, you commonly _cause _this much drama on a daily basis. If not dramatic, what do you call your stunt with the talking food in the Great Hall last week? Every time anyone tried to tuck into their breakfast, the eggs would start screaming 'No! I'm too young to die!' while the cereal was singing some annoying song about itself. It got to be so chaotic that a first year started crying… How is that _not _drama?"

"That was simply entertainment. There is a wide barrier between entertainment and drama. Now, I think you're forgetting the point of our little midnight rendezvous. You're looking for James, remember?"

"Right. Sorry. I'm just really nervous. So, how do we find him on this thing? It's huge."

"He's there," Sirius said, pointing to a spot on the map after scanning it for a brief moment.

"How on earth did you find him so fast?"

"Practice. Now go! You better take the map with you so you don't get caught. Though it would be interesting to hear what people would say if they found out that perfect little Head Girl Lily Evans was caught out after curfew." Lily rolled her eyes before grabbing the map. She squared her shoulders and took a deep, shaky breath.

"Lily, you're going to talk to James, not the Giant Squid. You two have been friends for months now. Why are you so freaked out about this?"

"I don't do confrontation well," she muttered. "And I'm afraid that he'll hate me after this. What if I did ruin our friendship, after all?"

"You can't go back in time and change it, unless you have a time-turner stashed somewhere on your person, so there's no sense on dwelling on what's been done. Go explain it to him. He won't be mad, and if he is, I give you permission to blame me, okay?"

Lily nodded, though she didn't look very comforted by the promise. "Okay. Thanks for your help, Sirius. Even if it does end badly. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast."

"Yeah," Sirius said. "You'll see me then." Lily took a deep breath and turned around before disappearing down the corridor.

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><p><strong>Well, there's that. I hope you liked it! Please, please review. A review is like an explosion of sunshine and rainbows on a cloudy day, and constructive criticism is always welcome!<strong>

**** For a James/Lily fic, so far there has been surprisingly little interaction between the two of them. And pretty much a lack of James entirely. But don't worry; there will be _plenty _of James in the next one.****


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here is is, folks: the final installment. And updated in less than a week from last time! Aren't you proud of me? :) Thanks a bunch to everyone who's reviewed! **

**Disclaimer: If you haven't figured out by now that I'm not J.K. Rowling, from both my previous disclaimers and the simple fact that my voice is quite different, you are rather dim.**

**P.S. Figurative cookies to anyone who figures out where exactly this scene takes place! Hint: Read the 6th book :)**

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><p>James Potter was sitting on the floor of a secret passageway on the second floor, his legs stretched out, feet nearly meeting the other side of the narrow corridor. His eyes stared blankly at the worn stones of the wall across from him. When Lily slid behind the old tapestry that hid the entrance and stepped into the little corridor, her feet echoing softly on the floor, James looked up with a start.<p>

His eyes went wide and blood flooded his cheeks when he saw who the intruder of his hiding place was.

"Hey," Lily said, sitting down next to him.

"'Lo," he muttered, refusing to meet her eyes. His gaze remained adamantly focused on the wall.

"James…" Lily tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, trying to figure out how to start. How do you tell your ex-enemy who you happen to be in love with that you don't, in fact, fancy his best mate even though he saw you snogging him less than an hour ago? That it was all a trick because you were too much of a coward to tell him how you feel about him?

"Listen, Lily, I'm sorry about earlier." _He _was sorry? Lily opened her mouth to interrupt and explain why he had nothing to apologize for, but James, who was still looking away from her, didn't see and continued speaking. "I shouldn't have run off like that. I was a bit surprised to walk into my dorm and find my supposed best mate snogging the girl I've been in love with for years." Lily's stomach did somersaults and a grin stretched across her face. She felt like she could leap, fly, sing. She could do anything in the world. James _did _love her, after all.

James interpreted her shocked, happy silence as something else, and so quickly carried on. His voice was frantic and tinged with embarrassment. "I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable. The last thing I want is to make things awkward between us." He raked a hand through his hair.

"James," Lily started again, but before she could continue, more words were pouring out of James' mouth in a worried flood.

"I've tried so hard this year not to do anything that would ruin our friendship, Lils. It may have been the most difficult thing I've ever done – never asking you out, or flirting with you, not to mention the millions of times I've had to hold myself back from kissing you." He chuckled humorlessly and combed his fingers through his hair again. Lily had noticed that this was something he did any time he was nervous. Though the habit used to annoy her to no end, she thought it was rather adorable now.

"James, I -"

"But Lily, please believe me, I've tried to be your friend," he interrupted again. If Lily wasn't still feeling bad about the stunt with Sirius and thrilled to hear about James' feelings for her, she would probably be yelling at him to shut up right about now and let her speak. She supposed it was because he was so upset and nervous, but how many times had he interrupted her now? Three? Four? This was getting to be ridiculous.

"I love you," he said. Lily's stomach knotted at his words and she felt gooseflesh rise on her arms. "And I want to be with you, but more than that, I want you to be happy, so -"

"James!"

"-if Sirius makes you happy," he continued as if he hadn't heard Lily speak, so focused was he on the floor and his speech, "then I'm happy for you. And I hope we can still be friends and that you won't hate me now…" James rambled on. Lily knew that he wasn't likely to stop any time soon, so she acted on an impulse. Twisting her body to face him, she grabbed his head and turned him towards her before pressing her lips firmly against his.

Lily's eyes slipped closed as she wove her hands into his messy hair. James, who had been in the middle of a sentence before Lily so kindly interrupted him, was staring at her in shock, eyes awkwardly crossing. After a second, once he realized what was happening, he closed them, a hand sliding up to stroke Lily's satin cheek.

After a moment, James pulled away, though he wouldn't let Lily go far. He leaned his forehead against hers and grabbed her hand. "Maybe I should blather like an idiot more often, if that's how you get me to shut up," he whispered.

Lily laughed shakily, her breath fanning across James' lips. He shivered. "But what about Sirius?" James asked, his eyebrows scrunching together as he pulled away from her. "I thought you and he were… you know."

"That's what I was _trying _to tell you, if you'd just let me speak earlier." Lily grinned, laying her head on James' shoulder and wrapping his hand in both of hers. "Sirius and I don't feel that way about each other."

"Then why were you snogging him?"

"Well, he overheard me confessing my feelings for you to Remus. He was irritated because I wouldn't tell you how I felt – I was afraid of ruining our friendship because I thought you didn't like me that way anymore."

"How could you think I didn't fancy you anymore? I thought it was obvious, even though I was trying to hide it."

"No, you hid it well. And… I kind of overheard you telling Remus that you were going to ask that Ravenclaw prefect, Callie Davenport, to Hogsmeade next weekend…." James laughed.

"You thought I fancied _her_? Don't get me wrong, she's a sweet girl and very smart, but she's not Lily Evans." He grinned and squeezed her hand. "I was going to ask her, but not as I real date. I only wanted to take her to the Three Broomsticks as a thank you; she's taken over a few of my patrol shifts when I was too swamped with homework and Quidditch. Trust me, Lily, you're the only girl I have feelings for. Only girl I've ever had feelings for, really."

Lily smiled, quickly pecking his cheek.

"But I still don't understand why you were snogging Sirius," James said, his voice quavering between suspicion, confusion, and the remnants of the joy he felt at their kiss.

"Well, Sirius decided he had to do something, since I wouldn't and he said he knew you wouldn't either. And he decided that the best thing to do was to make you jealous so you'd admit how you felt. And I, like an idiot, agreed to go along with it. I'm sorry, James; I know it was awful, but I was so desperate to find out how you felt about me and so scared that you wouldn't want to be friends anymore if you found out that I fancied you. Can you ever forgive me for doing that to you?" She looked at James, her eyes wide and anxious. He saw the sincerity and worry in her face, and even more than that, the love. He nodded.

"Of course I forgive you. But you have to promise me one thing. _Never _kiss any of my mates again." Lily laughed.

"That's one thing I can promise."

"Good. Because I've been waiting for you for nearly seven years, Miss Evans. And now that I've got you, I don't plan on sharing you with anyone else." He pulled her to him, pausing with his lips only an inch from hers.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too." She closed the distance between them and felt his smile beneath her own.

At the end of the passageway, the tapestry rustled as if an invisible person was slipping out of it. Which is, in fact, exactly what was happening. Sirius Black grinned beneath James' invisibility cloak, knowing that his friends were too… err, occupied… to notice the suspicious movement of the tapestry as he made his escape. He'd known his plan wasn't stupid. Lily and Prongs were finally together, weren't they? He was a genius.

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><p><strong>Please review! I'd love to hear what you think. <strong>

**When I was typing this up, I realized that I had actually written "serious" instead of "Sirius" at one point. Oh goodness. I think I get too caught up in writing the story haha **

**Merry Christmas everyone! And happy birthday to the baby Jesus :)**


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